Herba Ecliptae Prostratae Eclipta
Also known as Mo Han Lian, Li Chang
Materia Medica Data
- Category
- Herbs that Tonify Yin
- Temperature
- Cool
- Nature & Flavour
- Sweet, Sour, Cool
- Channels Entered
- KI, LIV
- Latin (pharmaceutical)
- Herba Ecliptae Prostratae
- Chinese
- 旱莲草
- Tone Marks
- hàn lián căo
- Also Known As
- Mo Han Lian, Li Chang
Chinese Herb Actions
What is Han Lian Cao used for in Chinese medicine?
Han Lian Cao (Mo Han Lian) nourishes Liver and Kidney yin while cooling the Blood and stopping bleeding — the classic pattern is dizziness, blurred vision, vertigo, prematurely grey hair, and a sore, weak low back and knees, often alongside heat-type bleeding.
Its main traditional actions:
- Nourishes Liver and Kidney yin — dizziness, blurred vision, vertigo, prematurely greying hair, sore/weak low back and knees.
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding — bleeding attributed to Heat in the vessels, including coughing/vomiting of blood, nosebleed, uterine bleeding, blood in the urine or stool, and subcutaneous bleeding/purpura.
Han Lian Cao is traditionally valued specifically for its ability to nourish yin and stop bleeding at the same time — useful where yin-deficiency heat is itself driving a bleeding tendency. It is traditionally paired with Nu Zhen Zi (Ligustrum fruit) in the well-known formula Er Zhi Wan (“Two-Ultimate Pill”) for Liver/Kidney yin deficiency with grey hair and low-back weakness. Where fresh material is available, TCM practice traditionally favors using it fresh rather than dried for these indications. (Traditional formula context, not treatment advice.)
Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references; cross-referenced against multiple online sources.
Chinese Herb Dosage
What is the typical dosage of Han Lian Cao?
Roughly 10–30 g in decoction (some sources give a narrower 9–15 g range) using the dried or fresh aerial parts. Sacred Lotus sources & references record both figures; the wider range likely reflects fresh-versus-dried preparation and source variation, which is a plausible, non-conflicting difference rather than an error.
Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references; cross-referenced against multiple online sources. Reference only — not a prescription.
Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions
Are there cautions for Han Lian Cao?
Han Lian Cao is cautioned in Spleen/Stomach or Kidney deficiency with Cold, and in diarrhea — its cool, yin-nourishing nature is not well suited to a cold, deficient digestion. Sacred Lotus sources & references also note caution in Food Stagnation with Spleen-qi deficiency.
Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references; cross-referenced against multiple online sources.
Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose
- None Noted.
Herb-Drug Interactions
- None Noted.
Western / Biomedical Research
Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research
Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.
Is there modern research on Han Lian Cao (Eclipta prostrata)?
Yes — a substantial and growing phytochemical/preclinical literature, with two threads that echo its traditional uses: hepatoprotection and hair-follicle biology. A 2019 review in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology confirms Eclipta prostrata's traditional use for hemorrhagic conditions (coughing/vomiting blood, blood in urine, nosebleed, uterine bleeding) and for hair loss, and catalogs coumestans (including wedelolactone) as its signature phytochemical class.
- Hepatoprotective (preclinical) — wedelolactone, Eclipta's major coumarin/coumestan constituent, protected mice against concanavalin-A–induced liver injury in one study; a 2024 metabolomics/transcriptomics study further mapped mechanisms by which wedelolactone and demethylwedelolactone protect the liver, including in fatty-liver models. Animal/cell research, not clinical evidence.
- Hair-follicle growth (preclinical, animal) — separate studies report that Eclipta prostrata extract promotes the anagen (growth) phase of the hair cycle via FGF-7/FGF-5 and related growth-factor signaling in mouse models, and that herbal formulations containing it promote hair growth in mice. This research addresses hair growth specifically; it does not directly test the traditional claim of darkening/preventing greying, which remains a traditional-use claim rather than a demonstrated pharmacological effect.
- Er Zhi Wan estrogenic activity (in vitro) — a 2012 study of the Han Lian Cao + Nu Zhen Zi combination (Er Zhi Wan) found it activated estrogen-response signaling in cultured breast cells without increasing cell proliferation, and examined how the preparation method (steaming, extraction ratio) affects this activity — cell-culture evidence, not a clinical trial.
Overall: liver-protective and hair-follicle-growth effects have real preclinical support; the classical “darkens the hair” claim and clinical bleeding-related benefits remain traditional-use claims awaiting direct clinical study.
Sources: J Ethnopharmacol (2019), PMID 31395303; Biomolecules (2021), PMID 34827736; Am J Chin Med (2018) wedelolactone hepatoprotection, PMID 29737211; J Pharm Anal (2024), PMID 38655398; Pharm Biol (2019) hair anagen induction, PMID 30757935; J Ethnopharmacol (2012) Er Zhi Wan estrogenic activity, PMID 22710293. Research context, not a therapeutic claim.
Chinese Herb Notes
What is Han Lian Cao traditionally combined with?
Its signature pairing is with Nu Zhen Zi (Ligustrum lucidum fruit) in Er Zhi Wan, a simple two-herb formula for Liver/Kidney yin deficiency presenting with dizziness, premature greying, and low-back/knee weakness — Han Lian Cao contributes the blood-cooling, hemostatic side while Nu Zhen Zi tonifies yin more directly.
Use fresh where possible. As with a number of blood-cooling herbs, TCM sourcing traditionally prefers the fresh plant when it is available, with dried material as the practical alternative.
Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references; cross-referenced against multiple online sources. Traditional formula context, not treatment advice.
Sources & References
Compiled and edited by Thomas Dehli, Founder & Editor, Sacred Lotus Updated
The information here is referenced from numerous sources — teachers, practitioners, class notes from Five Branches University, the books below, and the published research literature, with citations given as resolvable PubMed identifiers. Where sources disagree, I have flagged the discrepancies directly. If facts couldn't be verified, I have left them out. How we source our content.
Reference information for students and practitioners — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner. Terms of use.
Chinese Herbs Books & References
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